Worcester Polytechnic Institute has taken another step to encourage students attending the region’s community colleges to continue their studies in Worcester, this time agreeing to deals with Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner and Bedford-based Middlesex Community College.
Under the agreements, MWCC and MCC students who receive an associates degree and meet minimum requirements will be guaranteed admission at WPI, according to WPI press releases issued on Wednesday and Aug 2. The school has now inked four such agreements this year, having signed deals with Quinsigamond Community College in April and Manchester Community College in June. Â
The partnerships, which are now in effect, require students who graduate with an associate degree to have completed a college-level precalculus or calculus 1 course, a college-level laboratory science course, and have earned a 3.3 or higher GPA to be eligible for guaranteed admission.Â
The agreements provide a pathway for students who have not yet completed their associate degree to be eligible to transfer, as long as they have completed the required science and math courses and have maintained a 3.0 GPA.Â
WPI now has five transfer partnerships with New England-based universities, as the school signed an agreement with Framingham State University in March to allow pre-engineering students to be eligible for guaranteed admission at the school.Â
Eric Casey is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.Â